What Will Garage Door Reinforcement Cost
Garage door reinforcement is a cost effective way to prevent damage to your garage door considering new door panel replacement starts in the hundreds of dollars. Opener attachment reinforcement brackets range and price from $20 up to $30 depending on the style and size. Horizontal struts and perforated angle iron can be found at your local garage door dealer or hardware store for around $2 per ft. Self drilling screws can be found in small boxes for under $5. The work is easily done by most homeowners in under 30 minutes eliminating an expensive service charge. Hiring a garage door professional to do the work can be costly. Most door reinforcement service calls cost around $100-$200, depending on the work required and local market.
- Average Service Rate $75
- Strut/Punch Angle Cost $2 per foot
Cheap Builder Grade Garage Door
Many home builders today build homes using the cheapest materials they can source. The garage is no exception. With the fierce competition, we are seeing in home building, new garage doors are being installed in homes that would never pass muster in the old days. Manufacturers have removed parts off the garage door, started using thinner stiles and hinges, and opted for metals so thin the manufacturers will not list the gauge thickness on their websites.
Single Stile Windsor Builder Garage Door
A standard garage door should have three rows of stiles running vertical on a double car garage door. Measuring from the end of the door, they should be spaced every four feet for a standard 16ft wide door. As illustrated in the photo above, this Windsor builder grade garage door only has a center row of stiles. The row of stiles 4ft to the left of center and 4ft right have been removed to save money.
These rows of stiles are essentially the spine of a garage door and also where hinges are attached to help align the door when opening and closing. A quality hinge and stile on a garage door provide much needed support when a garage door is in the up position. Removing these stiles and hinges from a door leaves you with popping and flexing on the sections when opening and closing the door. Not to mention, this door has a hard time holding up its weight longer than 3-5 years based on what we have seen in the field.
Wayne Dalton 9100 Builder Garage Door
Our Top Picks For Best Garage Door Brace Bar
PRODUCT IMAGE
If youre looking for an easy way to add an extra layer of security to your home, business or other property, look no further than the 2 Pack Heavy Duty 2×4 Door Barricade Brackets. Made of high quality heavy duty carbon steel, these tough brackets are designed to fit standard 2×4 door barricade security bars , and will help to prevent forced entry by providing a strong, stable point of attachment.
Simply affix the brackets to the inside of your door using the included screws and anchors, and then slide the security bar into place. Your door will now be significantly more resistant to break-ins, giving you peace of mind knowing that your property is better protected. Whether youre looking to protect your home, business or other asset, these brackets are an essential part of any security plan.
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Garage Door Could Have Been Hit
When a garage door is hit, many people think it can be repaired easily. That is not the case. Many times, the metal on a garage door is stretched when a dent occurs, therefore causing it to lose its integrity. It may or may not reveal a crack when the accident happens, but over time the stretched metal will generate a small crack which eventually starts to spread as the door is opened and closed.
As this crack gets bigger, the door will sag a little in the beginning. Over time, the little sag will turn into bending and sagging so bad the garage door section will not be able to make it around the radius of the tracks. If you catch the problem soon, you can have your garage door repaired with a reinforcement strut, so the crack does not spread.
Installing Opener Reinforcement Brackets

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Buying Guide For Best Garage Door Brace Bar
When it comes to choosing the best garage door brace bar, there are a few things you need to take into account. The first is the size of your garage door. The larger the garage door, the more weight it will be able to support. If you have a smaller garage door, then you may not need as much support.
The next thing you need to consider is the type of material that you want your brace bar to be made out of. There are a few different options to choose from including metal and plastic. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Metal is going to be more durable but it will also be more expensive. Plastic is going to be less expensive but it may not last as long.
Once you have considered these factors, then you can start looking at different brands and models of garage door braces bars. Make sure that you read reviews online before making your final decision so that you know what others think about a particular model. This will help ensure that you get the best possible product for your money
How Many Struts Should Be Installed
Horizontal struts can be installed on every section of the garage door. Some doors have a strut installed on the top and bottom of each panel. This is common in coastal areas where garage doors must be wind code rated due to tropical storms with winds exceeding 100 miles per hour. If you decide to add additional struts to an existing door it is important to remember that you may need to adjust the spring tension or replace the springs entirely. Adding more than 10 lbs of weight to your door usually requires additional tension to be added to your torsion springs and if you have to add more than a full turn of tension to the torsion springs it is probably best to completely replace them with a properly calibrated set. Adding excess tension to your springs will cause them to wear out much faster!
Getting your door reinforced during the purchasing process is MUCH easier than retrofitting a door already installed. If you suspect your garage door will take on a lot of abuse get it reinforced correctly before purchase. Reinforcing a door with an opener bracket and horizontal struts can cost 3x more if not done during the initial purchase. Special applications require a higher reinforcement package. Here are a few applications that come to mind:
- Pole Barns Experiencing High Winds
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Reinforcing An Existing Door
If you already have a door installed there are steps you can take to reinforce your existing door. The top section of your garage door is under the most stress since it likely has an automatic opener attached to its center stile pulling and pushing during door operation. The bottom section is also under a lot of stress since the torsion spring system tension is being directed through the bottom corner brackets. The bottom section also sits closest to the ground and makes hard contact with the ground if manually operated.
During my time as a service coordinator at least 75% of damaged panel house calls involved the top section. Due to the high percentage all top sections on garage doors should have horizontal and vertical reinforcement.
- Opener Reinforcement Bracket
Top Section Bent On Single Car Garage Door
The most common reason the top section is bent on your single car garage door is because a reinforcement strut was never installed. When new homes are built, many home builders will have single car garage doors installed without top struts if the home will not have an automatic opener installed. The reason for this is to save money.
The first thing any homeowner does when they move in to a new home is install an automatic opener or have one installed. A single car garage door needs a top reinforcement strut installed if you intend to have an automatic garage door opener installed. If you do have a crack in your section like pictured above, installing a reinforcement strut will straighten a single car width section and prevent the crack from spreading.
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The Best Markham Residential Garage Door Services
At Markham Garage Doors, our team is dedicated to always providing Markham homeowners with attractive and dependable garage door products. All of our Clopay garage doors are crafted from the finest quality steel, aluminum and wood available, and extensively tested against the harshest climates to ensure lasting durability and beautiful appearances. Our residential garage door products are safe, easily maintained and energy-efficient.
Along with quality construction, these doors are designed to feature todays latest visual aesthetics, including a variety of colour and stain options, hardware and window texture options.
For every new garage door installation, well also help maximize your doors performance and efficiency with a state-of-the-art LiftMaster garage door opener. We stock the latest opener models featuring the most advanced upgrades available today, including Wi-Fi connectivity and MyQ, Security+ 2.0 with rolling door codes, timer-to-close and battery backup.
What Are My Garage Door Strut Options
We have seen some creative options over the years, from 2 x 4s to hockey sticks. One D.I.Y. recommended Perforated angle iron on a YouTube video. Many people see an easy, cheap fix as the best solution only to discover its only slowed the problem down. You may think, of course theyre not gonna recommend perforated angle because it hurts their sales The truth is the majority of our sales are to customers who tried angle iron and realized it did more harm than good. Ask yourself, if perforated angle iron worked, why do No door manufacturers use it or recommend using it? Yet, there are people gullible enough to think if it works for them, it will work for me.
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Why Choose Cedar Park Overhead Doors For Your Garage Door Parts
You can fix it today. We have most parts in stock and we sell them a reasonable prices.
Custom springs? We can make them today, while you wait.
A company you can trust with a Strong Local 30 year old company standing behind the products we sell.
Better Business Bureau A+ Rating for the Last 15 yearsWe are active and accredited members of the Better Business Bureau. Click on the link to the left to see our record.
Insured work at very fair prices. If our work is not up to your expectations, we will come back and make you happy. Guaranteed.
Fast service. Our technicians carry many garage door springs on their trucks and can fix most problems with a single visit on the same day you called.
Garage Door Sagging In The Middle Heres Why

The operation of a garage door is all about geometry and engineering. Every part, stamp, and indention plays an important role in the strength and engineering of the door, so it operates properly. There are many reasons why your garage door is sagging in the middle when you open and close it every day. First, lets start by addressing why a garage door could be sagging, so we can prevent it from happening again.
In this article, we take a look at some examples of metal and wood garage doors and go into further detail about why your door is sagging, how to prevent it from happening again, and how to repair the problem.
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Where Do I Install The Strut
A reinforcement strut on a garage door requires two self-tapping screws per stile for attachment. A standard double car width garage door is 16ft wide and has five vertical rows of stiles, including the end stiles. Like we discussed earlier in this article, you could have a builder door with only three or four vertical rows of stiles.
Usually, you will want to install the garage door strut at the top of the section, as close as you can get to the rollers. The rollers are what carry the load of the garage door in the horizontal tracks. By installing the strut close to the rollers, you are transferring the load from the center of the garage door out to the end stiles where the roller stems are inserted in the hinges.
Its important to install the properly engineered strut that runs the full width of the garage door, so attachment can be made on all inner and end stiles. If not, you are just adding dead weight to the center of your garage door section, which will eventually make your sagging issue much worse.
Why Your Garage Door Needs Reinforcement Struts
Have you ever looked at the inside of your garage door, and all the various parts that make it work? If you have a double door, at least 16feet wide, youll usually see a steel bar on the inside of the door. This bar is Ushaped, and attached via hinges. And its like this for an important reason. This is the reinforcement strut bar, and it is a very important part of a safe garage door system.
Reinforcement struts have two main functions:
- They support the garage door when it is open.
- They reinforce the door at all times against inclement weather, particularly important if you live in an area where there are strong winds or threats of hurricanes.
Most reinforcement struts that youll see on residential garage doors are 2 ¼ inches wide. These are held in place with hinges or steel clips while these are very strong hinges or clips, its important to understand that you should never attempt to use reinforcement strut bars as a ladder to reach anything stored in the area above the garage door. Children should also be discouraged from doing this, especially if the garage door is moving. This could cause serious injury.
So if they arent a ladder for the storage area, what type of support do these bars provide?
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Garage Door Section Crack Repair
If you have a crack in your garage door that is visible from the outside, you can cover this up with some paintable caulking. After repairing the sagging in your garage door, pick up some paintable exterior latex caulking at your local home store. Cut the tip of the caulking tube a little wider than the crack. Shoot some caulking on the door just enough to cover the crack.
The worst thing you can due when caulking anything is apply too much. Make sure to only put enough on the garage door to cover the crack. After that, you can smooth is down with a tool or soapy water on the tip of your finger will help you slick it down and blend it in with the face of the garage door. Let the caulking dry for a few days and then you can apply some touch up paint. The crack in your garage door will disappear.
To 20 Foot Wide Garage Doors
DIY Garage Door SUPER Strut Connector Kit Two 7-11 in. 22 gauge garage door struts and One 7-11 in. long Hot-dipped strut connector to join the two pieces together. The DIY Garage Door SUPER Strut is 45% to 60% stronger than a standard one piece 22 gauge 16 foot long strut and less likely to twist or torque out of place.
NET WEIGHT = 15.85 Lbs.
- 7-11 x 2-1/4 22 Gauge Galvanized Steel Struts for 16 wide door.
- 7-11 Hot-dipped Strut Connector
- #8 1/2 in. External Hex Flange 7/16 Hex-Head Self-Drilling Screws
- 1 External Hex Flange 7/16 Hex-Head Self-Drilling TEK SCREWS
- * Garage Door Strut Placement Analysis
- FREE SHIPPING UPS GROUND 1 to 5 Days Orders are processed within 1 to 2 business days* Customers will receive an email with tracking number.
- 7/16 in. MAGNETIC NUT DRIVER
Struts are secured to steel garage doors with 1 Self Drilling Screws
Tools Required:
For instructions on installing this product, refer to the instruction tab in the menu
Return Policy
Struts, returned for up to 30 days if the item is in its original condition and packaging. The customer pays the actual cost for shipping to return the product. Contact us first for a return shipping label. If the package has been open, it is customers responsibility to package and ship the strut back to us.
Additional items that we recommend and will help make your door run like new again
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How Much To Repair A Sagging Garage Door Header
If your garage door header is sagging to the point it is causing major structural issues, you may want to have it replaced. The cost to have this done can vary greatly depending on whats above the header. A couple of the homes we pictured above have thousands of pounds of rock above the garage door that is sitting on a lintel. The cost to have this repaired and reinstalled correctly could easily run over $20,000 dollars depending on the size of the project. Dealing with your homeowners insurance may be best for a project that size.
If you have something more simple with siding above the garage door, you could expect to pay around $5,000-$10,000 to have a header replaced. Of course, the pricing is highly dependent on the materials used in the home, how the structure is built, and where you are located. Building materials have skyrocketed in recent years, so dont be surprised when you receive your estimate. Having the correct engineered header beam or metal lintel installed for your home will prevent future issues with your heading sagging.